PCBs are highly resistant to acids, bases, sunlight, and even heat, making them very stable and persistent in the environment ( Kimbrough and Jensen 2012). 1988) and for causing cancer from long-term exposure ( Mayes et al. These chemicals are highly toxic to both humans and wildlife when either consumed or absorbed, causing the potential for liver damage from short-term exposure ( Price et al. PCBs have also been released into the environment when waste containing PCBs is stored in landfills or incinerated ( Faroon and Ruiz 2016). For example, it is estimated that over 1,000,000 pounds of PCBs were discharged into the Hudson River from two General Electric capacitor manufacturing plants located in New York during the 30-year period prior to the banned production of PCBs (see “ On the Web” for more information regarding Hudson River contamination). Prior to that time, PCBs were often openly dumped into the environment. Their continued production in the United States was phased out in the late 1970s, and strict disposal guidelines were regulated as adverse health effects associated with exposure to PCBs was discovered ( Faroon and Ruiz 2016).
Because of their ability to withstand exceptionally high temperatures, PCBs were widely used in manufacturing electrical transmission equipment, including transformers, capacitors, voltage regulators, and switches ( Faroon and Ruiz 2016). PCBs have been produced commercially since 1929 in hundreds of industrial applications. The exact number of chlorine atoms and their specific location(s) within a PCB molecule determines many of the varied physical and chemical properties associated with this family of chemicals. Each day this year we are publishing a brief piece of our history – Greenville's story.Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a family of synthetic chemicals consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine atoms. Several years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency oversaw the cleanup of PCBs and the removal of two dams on Twelve Mile Creek to allow the river to run over the contaminated sites.Īs late as two years ago, however, elevated PCB levels were still found in fish caught in Lake Hartwell.Įditor's note: For more than 140 years, The Greenville News has told the story of our community and the people who live here. The News articles alerted readers to the problem it was confirmed when the property owner at the time agreed to pay $22 million to clean up the Superfund site. Soil tests confirmed toxic PCBs at the Pickens Landfill. The extensive reporting effort was triggered by a state fishing advisory for Lake Hartwell in 1985. They eventually contaminated Twelve Mile River and fish swimming in Lake Hartwell. The chemical wastes were dumped between 19 into landfills and streams that fed into Town Creek near the town of Pickens.
Suspected of causing cancer in humans, the major symptoms of PCB poisoning are skin and liver problems. For six months in 1986, four Greenville News reporters researched, investigated and interviewed experts and local citizens alike in order to write a six-week series on PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) contamination in the waterways of Pickens County.